trapezoid

noun trap·e·zoid \ ˈtra-pə-ˌzȯid \

Definition of trapezoid

1 a :a quadrilateral having only two sides parallel

b British :trapezium 1a

2 :a bone in the wrist at the base of the metacarpal of the index finger

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trapezoidal

play \ˌtra-pə-ˈzȯi-dᵊl\ adjective

See trapezoid defined for English-language learners

See trapezoid defined for kids

Recent Examples of trapezoid from the Web

The lighting is discreet and natural wood abounds — walls, wine racks, benches and even the ceiling are mosaics of timber triangles and trapezoids.

— providence cicero, The Seattle Times, "A bigger canvas for Seattle’s Art of the Table," 20 July 2017
Floors require specialized cuts with trapezoids and tiny triangles at the edges, and cabinet makers have a tough time working with curved walls.

— janet eastman, OregonLive.com, "Oddball, doughnut-shaped SE Portland house sells fast, often and for more than asking price (photos)," 13 July 2017
The screen and speaker wrapped in a chunky trapezoid of plastic have more in common with the cathode-ray TVs your parents grew up with than any gadget from this decade.

— david pierce, WIRED, "Review: Amazon Echo Show," 26 June 2017
The easiest way to pull off this trend is to incorporate geometric shapes—like hexagons, triangles, and trapezoids—by using fondant pieces, painted patterns, or other edible items.

— AL.com, "Check out 6 unique wedding cake trends," 14 June 2017
Just three school days after her brother was shot in the head and killed on Milwaukee’s north side, Nevaeha Ware was back in class trying to focus on geometry and the differences between squares, trapezoids and parrallelograms.

— james e. causey, jsonline.com, "Pervasive violence creeps into classrooms," 9 June 2017
The red-brick trapezoid former bank building that for years has stood out like a sore thumb on North Main Street near the Historic Stockyards will be razed soon to make room for a six-story Springhill Suites by Marriott.

— sandra baker, star-telegram.com, "‘The wedge’ being razed and replaced by 170-room Marriott hotel," 19 May 2017
That means that the dovetails on either side of a corner form a sort of trapezoid and are connected by a slanted track.

— eric limer, Popular Mechanics, "Can You Solve the Impossible Dovetail Puzzle Box?," 25 Apr. 2017
Just to the upper left of the lopsided trapezoid is the very bright planet Jupiter.

— mike lynch / sky watch, Twin Cities, "Sky Watch: Blame Corvus for screwing up everything for crows," 15 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trapezoid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.